SCENE 9: Larry’s apartment. No one is onstage. It is early morning and Larry and Ellen are still asleep. We hear the voice of Roger Faltry.

ROGER

I promise you, Aaron, I won’t say a word. They’ll never even know that I’m there. I’ll just go and see how she is, and then I’ll come out after they leave for work, and we’ll get some rest.

 

AARON

We sure better. Flying all night is not my idea of what an agent does, Roger. Make it quick so I can get home.

 

ROGER

You just sleep in the car ‘til I get back. Don’t worry.

 

AARON

You get in any trouble, I don’t know you. There goes one agent, got it?

 

ROGER

Got it. Now keep it down while I try to get in.

AN ALARM CLOCK GOES OFF, AND LARRY STUMBLES INTO THE LIVING ROOM AND CROSSES TO THE DOOR, AND OPENS IT. HE GOES OUT AND ROGER COMES IN. LARRY COMES BACK IN WITH THE PAPER AND A BOTTLE OF MILK. HE GOES BACK TO THE BEDROOM, AND ELLEN COME IN AND STARTS TO FIX SOME TOAST AND COFFEE. ROGER STAYS AWAY FROM HER, AND WATCHER HER MOVE AROUND THE KITCHEN. LARRY COMES IN AND SITS DOWN AT THE TABLE FOR HIS TOAST AND COFFEE.

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What time did you get back last night?

 

LARRY

You mean what time did I get back this morning?

 

ELLEN

What time did you get back this morning?

 

LARRY

I don’t know. Pretty late. Pretty Early.

 

ELLEN

I’m not going to work today.

 

LARRY

What ya gonna do? Call in sick?

 

ELLEN

I’m not gonna call at all. I’m just not going.

 

LARRY

Do you expect me to support you or what?

 

ELLEN

Do what? No … no, I don’t.

 

LARRY

Listen, food doesn’t grow on trees, you know. What do you expect to eat? I spent $50 at the store last Tuesday and I’m not used to that kind of a chunk every week. You got any plans about that?

 

ELLEN

Not this morning. Maybe, if I walk enough and think enough today, I’ll come up with something. All I know right now is that I don’t ever wanna go back to Widener, Wilson, and Harris.

 

LARRY

Don’t you like your job? I thought you were just, maybe, you know, just kind of confused. Let me tell ‘em you’re sick, so you can come back later, if you change your mind.

 

ELLEN

You don’t understand! Roger was on national TV last night and if any of them saw him I just won’t be able to face them. I can just that that Suzy Samson and Mr Beeler and Dora laughing behind my back … thinking that I’m such an idiot for leaving him for … for a gorilla from shipping.

 

LARRY

You think you’re an idiot? An’ you think I’m a gorilla from shipping? You’re an idiot!

 

ELLEN

I can’t help it. It is what I think, and I don’t want to feel like that, and I just want to be alone to figure it out. SO LEAVE ME ALONE AND LET ME BURY MYSELF!!! I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself. You’re the one who should be worried. I don’t think that you washed clothes more than once every 6 weeks before I came here. There were always dishes in the sink and roaches in the cabinet. I don’t know if you’ll be able to take care of yourself. And I’ll be damned if I’ll do it like it was the Cross of the Woman. If you’re gonna worry about how you’ll pay for the food that I cook, off the dished I wash, then you can just get off the bus, just get off the bus!

 

LARRY

Wooooo! Look at the spines on the porcupine! What a temper on the nice lady.

HE GETS UP SUDDENLY AND GOES OUT THE DOOR TO WORK, CLOSING IT BEFORE ROGER HAS A CHANCE TO GET OUT. ROGER HAS BEEN TAKING IT ALL IN, REACTING TO EVERY LINE, AND NOW HE SEES THAT HE WILL HAVE A LITTLE MORE TROUBLE GETTING OUT UNNOTICED. HE OPENS HIS MOUTH AND STARTS TO SAY SOMETHING TO ELLEN, BUT JUST CLOSES IT. HE STARTS TO TOUCH HER, REACHES OUT, AND PULLS HIS HAND BACK. HE LOOKS AROUND FOR A WAY OUT. ELLEN IS JUST SITTING AT THE TABLE, STARING INTO SPACE. SHE TALKS TO HERSELF NOW.

ELLEN

You never should have left. You had what you wanted all along. You didn’t find what you were looking for because you had it all along. And you lost what you had all along when you looked for it somewhere else. Ellen, Ellen. What have you got left now?

SHE GOES TO THE TV AND TURNS IT ON. IT IS ON CELEBRITY SWEEPSTAKES. ROGER GETS LOST IN CAROL WAYNE. ELLEN CONTINUES.

ELLEN

Celebrity Sweepstakes. Carol Wayne. He can have her now. He’s famous and I left him and he can have her tan now. Oh, Ellen. I feel so sorry for you now. You just wanted to find somebody who was just like you, who cried at the same movies and like the same books and the same songs and remembered the same good times and you had it all along. And poor Larry, you did him so wrong. Yes, I see it now, so wrong. You were so sure that you were so alike that you didn’t bother to look through your own feelings and the, and see the real person there. You were in love with yourself all along … misery loves company … and Roger … you really screwed yourself about Roger … the best life you ever had … you had Roger and yourself … now you don’t have either one. No Roger, no Larry, no Ellen. Where’s Ellen? What a slob Ellen is. Who’s Ellen?

ROGER GOES TO ELLEN AND TOUCHES HER HAND, TENDERLY, SAYING NOTHING. HE LOVES HER. WHAT CAN HE SAY?

ELLEN

!?!?! Roger? Roger? Oh, goodness, my mind is playing tricks on me. I’m feeling Roger’s hand. Roger’s in California with Carol Wayne. He couldn’t be here and there at the same time. Ellen’s going crazy, Ellen’s going crazy …

 

ROGER

He could fly all night.

 

ELLEN

Roger? It’s really you! How long …? Did you come to …? Please don’t hurt me, Roger. I can’t even see you hit me. Please don’t hurt me, I’ll do anything you want, just please don’t hit me.

 

ROGER

Anything?

 

ELLEN

Anything. Please don’t hit me. No, go ahead, I can’t stop you. Get it over with. What are you doing? Why are you after me? What are you do ...

SHE REALIZES THAT SHE IS THE ONLY ONE SPEAKING, AND SHE STANDS FACING HIS VOICE, QUIETLY, WAITING.

ROGER

Will you come home with me?

 

ELLEN

You mean …? I thought you didn’t …? You’d never … oh, Roger, let me get my things.

 

ROGER

Don’t bother. We can get new ones. Let’s just get out of here.

 

ELLEN

Anything you say, lover, just please don’t sing.

 

ROGER

If you’ll shutup, I won’t sing.

 

ELLEN

Don’t you think you’re asking a little much? I‘m your wife and I have a right to chatter all the time. The Bible says that I can talk all I want to. It’s in the Constitution.

THEY START TO WALK OUT, HAND IN HAND. ROGER STARTS TO SING AND ELLEN CARRIES ON ABOUT HOW SHE CAN TALK ALL SHE WANTS UNTIL THEY ARE OFFSTAGE, AND THE LIGHTS GO OUT ON EVERYBODY.